It takes a former Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standout and NFL veteran running back to know a current and possible future one.

In North Carolina A&T head coach George Ragsdale’s mind, he can envision South Carolina State tailback Will Ford playing on Sundays.

“Will Ford is a great runner,” Ragsdale said. “Guys like Will Ford I pull for when I’m not playing. I know I’ll see Will Ford one day in the NFL and nobody won’t be pulling harder for Will Ford than George Ragsdale. But Saturday, I definitely won’t be pulling for Will Ford. I’ll try to get my offense to get some life and occupy that ball a little bit so we can kind of keep Mr. Ford on the sidelines, hopefully.”

Ragsdale, who served as the running backs coach the past two seasons before his promotion to head coach a month ago, saw firsthand last year what damage the preseason MEAC Offensive Player of the Year can inflict on a helpless defense. Playing for pride, Ford ran roughshod over the Aggies for a career-best 322 yards -- a school record and the highest run total posted by a Football Championship Subdivision player in 2007.

It’s an achievement Ford insists he’s not seeking to top today against the Aggies. Like some of the increased accolades he’s received (on Thursday, he was named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award given to the nation’s best FCS player), Ford is taking everything in stride.

“You work hard and I’m just proud that somebody sees that you’ve been doing pretty good and I’m just thankful for the blessing,” he said. “Everybody is going to be talking because I racked up a lot of yards. But, I’m just coming in trying to get the win and stay healthy. If I have a big game, I have a big game. But more important, I want to get the win and stay healthy.”

Another big effort could earn Ford his first MEAC rushing title. A year after finishing 13 yards behind Morgan State’s Chad Simpson (now with the Indianapolis Colts) despite the record game against the Aggies, Ford (1,221 yards, 11 TDs) trails current Bear running back Devan James by only four yards.

There’s also the “pursuit” of the MEAC all-time career rushing record, currently held by Hampton’s Alonzo Coleman. During the Bulldogs’ seven-game winning streak, Ford has leagfrogged his way into seventh place on the list and could potentially open his senior year chasing down former teammate DeShawn Baker for fifth place.

“I try not to stress myself about the rushing yards,” Ford said. “My (offensive linemen) come up and tell me that ‘you’re four yards behind, you’re 20 yards behind.’ I try to keep it out my mind, but every day I’m reminded of it. But, you know, I’m just going to work hard. As long as we win, I’m going to be happy.”

Ford and the Bulldogs’ main focus is finishing the regular season on a strong, dominating note. Such a performance could boost S.C. State’s chances of receiving a higher seeding for the FCS playoffs and a first-round home game when the brackets are released Sunday.

Although S.C. State has won the last seven meetings in the series, Ford is not about to start looking past the Aggies.

“One game at a time,” he said. “We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. We know we’re going to go to the playoffs and we know we have a task ahead being in the playoffs. But we’ve got (North Carolina) A&T coming up on Saturday. We’re not going to look past (North Carolina) A&T. We’re just going to take it one game at a time.”

Playing for records

Ford is not the only Bulldog looking to etch their name in the school record books. Senior punter Aaron Haire just needs to maintain his season average of 41.4 to break Alonzo Braddy’s single-season school record of 40.5 set in 1980.

Having broken Brett Young’s single-season record for completions (127) with 142, quarterback Malcolm Long is ahead of Cleveland McCoy’s single-season completion percentage record. McCoy set the mark in 2005 with .568, while Long’s percentage is currently .594.

Long also needs 345 yards to surpass Reese McCampbell’s single-season record for passing yards at 1,972.

MEAC all-time career

rushing leaders

1. Alonzo Coleman (Hampton) -- 4,648

2. Harvey Reid (Howard) -- 4,142

3. Michael Hicks (South Carolina State) -- 4,093

4. Montrell Coley (Hampton) -- 3,838

5. DeShawn Baker (South Carolina State) -- 3,702

6. Terrance Hoover (Delaware State) -- 3,517

7. Will Ford (South Carolina State) -- 3,362

8. Reggie Barnes (Delaware State) -- 3,282

9. Gene Lake (Delaware State) -- 3,123

-- T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant Jr. can be reached by e-mail at tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5547. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.

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